Halcyon days. Or rather, halcyones, as Athenians call the periods of warm weather that descend on their city in winter. When they arrive, Athens heads outdoors. At O Platanos taverna, in the tourist area of Plaka below the Acropolis, the waiters hastily spread paper tablecloths on the pavement tables, and a mostly local crowd sits in the courtyard, lunching on moussaka and retsina. Not bad for Europe in mid-February.

Winter is one of the best times to visit Athens. When I lived in the city I used to look forward to the days growing shorter and the number of tourists dwindling. Not only is winter cooler and cheaper - hotel rooms can be discounted by up to a half - it also offers the chance to experience the city as the locals do.

Plaka is mostly open for business, although many tavernas move their tables inside and a few of the souvenir shops close down. The biggest difference is the lack of crowds. You wander through the neo-classical mansions and whitewashed houses unimpeded by other tourists beckoning waiters or gipsy women flogging lace shawls. High above, the Parthenon looks noble and serene in the wintry light.

It pays to stay somewhere comfortable in winter. A new breed of Athenian hotel has arrived: smart, design-led, north European in style but thoroughly Greek in atmosphere - and price. The Ochre and Brown is one of the best: 11 sleek but cosy rooms looking out towards the Acropolis and back across the busy streets of Psiri.

This working-class district has come into its own in recent years. New businesses - especially bars and restaurants - have proliferated, making it the most fashionable area of Athens. But it remains rough around the edges. Tiny shops rub up against old-style tavernas; narrow, potholed streets lead to unexpectedly leafy squares. This is where Greeks come to socialise, and in winter it is laid-back but lively.

On Sundays the city's famous flea market spreads this far, where it becomes less of a tourist hotspot and more of a local affair. There are some genuine bargains among the junk and bric-à-brac, but the main appeal is the ambience, with ancient men flogging everything from antiques to knocked-off Rolexes in an atmosphere not unlike an eastern bazaar.

In winter the two-mile pedestrianised ancient promenade that links all of the city's principal archaeological sites becomes an exercise circuit for Athenians, filled with families, dog-walkers, joggers and hand-holding couples. The ancient sites themselves are blissfully free of crowds. Wandering around an Acropolis devoid of noisy visitors, or through the somnolent peace of the ancient cemetery of Keramikos by yourself, is an absolute joy.

Of course, the weather may change. When the north-east wind whips off the Attic hills it can bring in heavy rain. Athens has a peculiar, austere beauty on these days - wet marble glistening in front of the yellow Parliament on Syntagma Square; stripped birch trees in the Plaka - but sooner or later you will want to head indoors. Fortunately the city has a remarkable array of indoor attractions, from museums (see right) to shops and neighbourhood bars. One drawback is smoke: Athenians pay little attention to no-smoking signs, which can be a nusiance in closely packed bars and restaurants.

For sustenance head to the fashionable cafés at the western end of Adrianou Street, in summer crammed with tourists but in winter the province of Athenians. Traditional tavernas - rustic places with wine barrels and a homely atmosphere - are also hugely popular. Favourites such as Bairaktaris, the oldest taverna in Athens, which opened in 1869, jam their doors shut against the cold and fill up with a broad mixture of diners, from students to pensioners. Itinerant musicians play rembetika - "Greek blues" music from Psiri and Piraeus - instead of the theme from Zorba, and the kitchen turns out warming winter comfort food such as horta: boiled mountain greens with lemon juice.

By late February it can almost seem as if winter is over. In the Ancient Agora the first wild flowers push through, and Plaka and Psiri are packed with young people in costume, many armed with soft plastic batons. This is Apokreas, Greece's version of Carnival, which in Athens takes the form of a couple of weeks of partying and fervent meat-eating before the beginning of Lent. Apokreas finishes on Clean Monday, when Athenians traditionally fly kites to usher in the new period of fasting.

For a spectacular view, follow the locals up to Areopagus, the rocky bluff below the Acropolis where Saint Paul is said to have preached. The whole of Athens lies spread out below, ringed by pastel mountains. Above is the Acropolis, to the west the milky blue band of the Aegean. When a burst of winter sunshine hits the city it seems to sparkle, and in the green spaces below little patches of white flutter in the wind. Those are halcyon days indeed.

Athens basics

Getting there

Paul Mansfield travelled with Easyjet (www.easyjet.com), which has return flights to Athens from Luton and Gatwick from £60.

Staying there

The dialling code for Greece from the UK is 00 30. Prices are for a double room and breakfast. Ask about offers and seasonal reductions.

The Ochre & Brown, Leokoriou 7 (210 331 2950; www.ochreandbrown.com), is probably the best small hotel in the city, with plush, well-equipped rooms with a designer feel, friendly staff and a great location on the edge of Psiri and close to Plaka. There's also a pleasant restaurant/bar. From £103.

The Edridanus Hotel, Pireos 78 (210 520 5360; www.eridanus.gr) is a former Psiri mansion with arty, spacious rooms. Its major drawback is the noisy, traffic-filled street directly outside. From £121.

From November to March, admission to all state-run museums and sites is free on Sundays. An £8 ticket to the Acropolis is valid for four days and includes admission to five other sites. Must-sees include the National Archaeological Museum, Patision 44 (210 821 7717, www.culture.gr), £5, and the Museum of Cycladic Art, Neophytou Douka 4 (210 722 8321, www.cycladic.gr), £3.50.The extension of the Benaki Museum at Pireos 138 (210 345 3111, www.benaki.gr), £1.40, and Technopolis, Pireos 100 (210 346 0981, www.technopolis.gr), which is an arts centre in a former gasworks at Gazi, with a full winter programme of events. The long-awaited Acropolis Museum, Dionysiou Areopagitou and Makrigianni (210 321 0219, www.culture.gr) is a spectacular concrete and plate-glass construction on the south side of the Acropolis. It should be fully functioning by March, and will contain many of the Parthenon's finest sculptures.

Getting around

Day passes (£1.40) are valid for the city's entire transport network. Taxis have a minimum fee of 70p.

Excursions

The Saronic Islands can be reached by high-speed ferry from Piraeus. Aegina, with its 480 BC Temple of Aphaia, is half an hour away (£3.50 return) and car-free Hydra one and a half (£22). Details from Hellenic Seaways (210 419 9000, www.hellenicseaways.gr). A tram runs from Athens to the resort of Glyfada in 50 minutes (40p).

Where to eat

Prices are for two with wine; booking only necessary where indicated.

Bairaktaris, opposite Monastiraki metro station, and the basement Zaita, Kydathineon 21, both traditional tavernas, are snug in winter. For warmer days, O Platanos, Diogenes 4, has an unbeatable location in a tiny Plaka back street. All about £20. In Psiri, Kouzina, Sarri 44, is a cosy place in a former factory; Hytra, Navarhou Apostoli 7 (210 331 6767), is a local favourite run by a well-known chef, Yiannis Baxevanis, and Varoulko, Pireos 80 (210 522 8400), is a sophisticated but relaxed place owned by the Michelin-starred Leftheris Lazarou. Seafood is a speciality. £50-90.

Where to drink

The intimate To Kafeneion, Epiharmou 1, in the plaka, has the biggest selection of carafe wine in Athens: between January and February more than 30 new wines are on offer. Brettos, Kydathineon 41, is a wood-lined former wine-shop with floodlit bottle-stacked shelves. In Psiri, Old-Fashioned, Miaoulis 16, is a tiny one-room bar with a neighbourhood feel, as is the newly opened Minibar, Navarhou Apostoli 16, which specialises in miniature bottles of spirits. On Adrianou Street, Dioskouri, at 39, and the Gallery, 33, are the warmest and most comfortable places to hang out.

Where to shop

Sales in Athens last from January to February. The best bargains are from the big-name shops in pedestrianised Ermou Street and the new Attica department store at Penepistimiou 7. For designer labels head to upmarket Kolonaki, where local heroine Sophie Kokosalaki has her fashion outlet at Bettina, Pindarou 40. For souvenirs, Amorgos, Kendrou 3, has traditional Greek handicrafts.

Listings

See the monthly Insider and bi-monthly Odyssey English-language magazines.

Guidebook

The Best of Athens (Lonely Planet, £6.99) and Wallpaper* City Guide (Phaidon, £4.95).